Defence varsity in Haryana sought
Tribune News Service

Ambala, July 26
Former Ambala MP Ratan Lal Kataria today demanded that a defence university be established in Haryana and a gun factory be set up at Ambala. He was addressing members of the families of martyrs at a function organised by the BJP to mark Kargil Vijay Divas at Subri village.

He said the Kargil intrusion by Pakistan had taken place clandestinely despite the hand of friendship extended by the then Prime Minister, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Mr Kataria demanded that a defence officers advance institute be set up at Panchkula.

He said the Army should be modernised, the intelligence set-up should be improved and the surveillance system should be improvised in internal security matters.

Shawls were offered to one member each of the families of martyrs Rakesh Saini, Praveen Kumar, Manjit Singh and Sukhwinder on the occasion.

Hisar, July 26
University of Maryland, USA, and Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, have decided to identify areas of mutual cooperation in the fields of teaching and research.

A five-member high-level delegation from University of Maryland, led by Dr Raymond J. Miller, Director, International Training Programme, is on a five day visit to the HAU in this regard.

The delegation will identify areas of mutual cooperation and chalk out a work plan.

The HAU Vice-Chancellor, Dr J C Katyal, chaired the meeting with the delegation. He maintained that in view of the shrinking land holdings and crops frequently threatened by natural calamities, the application of newer farm technologies had become important.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Miller said that he was impressed with the accomplishments of HAU.

It may be mentioned that both University of Maryland and HAU had signed an MoU in April to promote and accelerate programmes of research, training and extension in agriculture and allied sciences on the initiative of the Haryana Governor and Chancellor, HAU, Dr A.R Kidwai.

Chandigarh, July 26
Four officials of the Public Health Department in Gurgaon district are to be chargesheeted for the outbreak of water-borne diseases.

The state government has initiated action against these officials for failing to ensure the supply of clean drinking water to people. The water supplied, it is suspected, led to water-borne diseases in the area.

Mr B.K. Gupta, Executive Engineer, Mr Janak Raj, Subdivisional Engineer, and Mr J.R. Malhotra and Mr K.C. Sharma, Junior Engineers, have been taken to task by the Haryana Public Health Minister, Mr Randeep Singh Surjewala, for alleged half-hearted attempts at chlorination of the tubewell-based scheme of the area.

The Minister has ordered the issuing of a charge sheet to the Executive Engineer under Rule 8 of the Government Service Rules. The SDE and the two JEs have been ordered to be charged under Rule 7, which entails dismissal from service if found guilty.

The action follows an inquiry ordered by Mr Surjewala in the wake of reports of an outbreak of diarrhoea and jaundice in Gurgaon. Mr J.K. Bansal, Executive Engineer, was deputed to conduct the inquiry. Mr Bansal visited Gurgaon on June 27 and 28 and reported that 22 out of 51 tubewells of the Public Health Department inspected by him did not have chlorinators.

Mr Bansal also visited the Civil Hospital at Gurgaon on June 27 and found that 233 confirmed cases of diarrhoea and 15 of viral hepatitis had been recorded in the area during the past 15 days.

Earlier, following a meeting of the state Sanitary Board held here under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister, instructions were passed that chlorinators must be provided at all tubewells by June 15. Instructions were also issued that the Public Health Department and the Health Department would take samples jointly of drinking water every week.

It was stated that while one sample should be tested at the Public Health Department laboratory, another one should be tested by the Health Department to avoid any manipulation of results.

Mr Surjewala’s order to issue charge sheets to the four officials has been also approved by the Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Chandigarh, July 26
The Haryana Civil Aviation Department will purchase two Cessna-172R trainer aircraft at a cost of Rs 85.93 lakh each.

An official spokesman said here today that the department had suggested to the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation that an international cargo airport should be set up at Bahadurgarh in Jhajjar district to promote the export of processed agri products from the northern region of the country, including Haryana. It had also proposed to the Ministry that airstrips should be made in Lakhan Majra and Chandi villages in Rohtak district. The department had also planned to renovate the aerodromes at Karnal, Hisar and Pinjore at an estimated cost of Rs 6.50 crore, Rs 5.50 crore and Rs 7.50 crore, respectively, during the 11th Five Year Plan.

He said the department would provide night-landing facilities at the aerodromes at Karnal and Hisar and update the navigational facilities at all aerodromes in the state at an estimated cost of Rs 7 crore. In view of the shortage of pilots in the country, the department was also considering a proposal to set up a flying training academy in the private sector.

Yamunanagar, July 26
As many as 50 villages of the Ghar area of Chhachhrauli tehsil here were cut off from the district headquarters and 12 villages flooded this afternoon due to the swollen Som river. Several villages of Bilaspur block here were also flooded.

Hundreds of vehicles were trapped in these area and the drivers were waiting for water to recede. However, there are no reports of loss of life or damage to houses.

Affected villagers were worried lot as the receding water would leave behind a thick layer of silt behind it rendering land uncultivable for the next few sowing seasons.

All roads leading to the Ghar area from Chhachhrauli were flooded and several of them were damaged. Either side of a bridge near Baloli village was damaged.

Sources in the district administration said it was making arrangements to provide help to the affected villages.

Several villages, including Damoli, Taruwala, Raipu, Khanuwala, Barulimajra, Tugalpur, Taharpur, Nagli, Tehano, Ledi and Salempur Khadar of the tehsil were under five or seven feet of water.

On the other hand, the Som river also played havoc in several villages of Bilaspur block. The sources said four or five feet water was flowing in Chintpura, Prithipur, Ramgarh, Hanuwala and other villages. A bandh on the river at Bambonali village was believed to have been washed away. Farmers complained that hundreds of acres of land had been damaged due to the flashfloods.

Deputy Commissioner J.P. Kaushik visited the affected villages of Bilaspur block and assured the people of all possible help. He also inspected a damaged bridge on the Bilaspur-Nahana road, near Dhanura village.

It has been raining in the area for the past 24-hours.

Hisar, July 26
A case of physical, mental and sexual torture of a married woman by her husband and in-laws has come to light.

The woman has alleged that she was being treated cruelly for the past several years, during which she was severely beaten up, burnt with lighted cigarettes and injured with blades. She says was confined to the premises of her in-laws’ house.

Preeti, 28, a resident of the Dogran Mohalla here, was married to Ajay Khattar of Bhuna in Fatehabad around 11 years ago. While the first few months after the marriage went off peacefully, what happened afterwards was a nightmare for her.

“It began with taunts about the little dowry brought by me. Slowly, thrashing me and subjecting me to intense physical, mental and sexual torture became a routine affair. I remained quiet, as I knew my parents were not in a position to support me. But now, I have no physical or mental strength left in me to endure the torture anymore,” says a broken Preeti, who is presently at her parents’ house and undergoing treatment.

Her husband and father-in-law recently came to her parents’ house and forcibly took away her son. Preeti and her mother, Shashi Bala, were injured in the scuffle. Their neighbours noted down the number of the car and informed the police.

The police recovered the child from Preeti’s in-laws’ house at Bhuna. He has been handed over to his mother.

However, no action has yet been taken against the woman’s husband and father-in-law, despite a complaint lodged with the police in this regard. Preeti’s in-laws are now pressurising her family to reach a compromise.

As of now, the hapless mother of Preeti is making rounds of various offices in the hope of justice. But she is encountering difficulties at every step. For instance, Preeti’s medico-legal report (MLR) was not issued by the Civil Hospital authorities for several days after her admission.

Later, her mother approached the SDM, with whose intervention the MLR was issued. Preeti is determined not to return to her in-laws’ place and fight for her right.